A Tale of Three Skies
by DemonxHalphas
Summary: Tsuna and the others attempt a mission, but they didn't know that failing would cost them their boss. When he accidentally swaps worlds with himself, he suddenly has an older brother. In this world that will soon fall to despair, Tsuna isn't the boss, and Reborn isn't his home tutor. But that doesn't change the fact that he has sky flames. Can he change the future AND return home?
1. Chapter 1: Rewind

**FINALLY FINISHED MY HITMAN REBORN STORY, YESSSSS :DD Well, I noticed that a TON of people wrote about Tsuna having a twin and all that, but I had an idea I quite liked and couldn't resist making my own version. AU/Tsuna twin anybody? ;D Er... this is a REALLY FREAKING LONG CHAPTER. (By my standards, anyhow.) 8,000 words, le gasp! XD I hadn't the heart to make this any shorter, but writing this took an unpleasantly long time. =m= The next will most likely be shorter, unless I can get a spur of ideas like I did for this one. /Probably not though. Anyhoo, hope you find it to your liking!**

**Alsooooo looking for a beta! Would anybody like to help me? :D**

**I OWN NOTHING except my dear Hideyoshi. Yep. KHR is not mine, no mater how much I want it to be. ;-;**

* * *

He was never one to write. In fact, he stayed away from it as much as possible. Not because he particularly disliked it though, he just simply never had a reason to. But he thought he had a reason this time, to pick up a pen and fill a paper with a sea of words. He thought.

Today was a special day. Was that it?

Writing was a good way to remember things. He confirmed that much in his school days. Reading a book gave him enough information to do homework ; writing it down made it stick… for a disturbingly long time. But he still didn't write unless he had to.

But, even without writing it down, he could never forget what he was putting on this paper. Not ever.

Even so, this story must never be forgotten.

In the dead of the night, words poured into the room. Where did these words come from, he wondered?

'_Things weren't always like this…'_

The pen moved rapidly as he scribbled across the article, his writing nearly illegible. Well, that was just fine. No one was meant to read this.

'_There was one night, three years ago…'_

A smile graced his lips as he saw the amount of time written on the paper… It's been a long time, hasn't it? Three years since that day, the day the world had almost gotten swallowed up by sky. He stopped his scrawling when words no longer flowed from the tool, and reached for another, continuing his story with and without ease.

'_On that night… I met three Tsunas.'_

* * *

Well hidden in Namimori Middle's walls, Reborn sat leisurely in one of his many hideouts, practically within Tsuna's humorously short reach. Yamamoto and Gokudera were right nearby, chatting amiably with the Vongola boss candidate. Sipping his coffee, he listened in on his student's conversation. It was a little hobby of his. Though he can read Tsuna 's mind (or everyone's, for that matter) hearing him speak was _far_ more entertaining.

He was listening intently when Tsuna began _badmouthing_ him (he had every intention to make the boy regret it later) when suddenly, the miniature cell phone vibrated in his pocket, startling him to a small degree and spilling a drop of the hot liquid onto his thumb.

Though the pain was extremely slight, practically unnoticeable even for the hitman, it still irritated him. If only a little. Setting down the cup with just a little more force than necessary, he pulled out the device and answered it with his usual greeting , "Ciaossu."

An extremely familiar voice sounded in reply, no less jolly than the Arcobaleno remembered._ "Ah, Reborn! How have things been lately?"_

Reborn looked up in surprise. _'Dino ?... '_ He hasn't heard from his old student in ages. Why call now? "Just fine. Tsuna is as well, if that's what you're wondering."

The voice laughed on the other side, though the hitman would say it sounded a bit hoarse. Nonetheless, it retained its annoyingly cheery tone. Reborn could almost see the boy's smile through the speakers. _"That's good to hear!" _Reborn opened his mouth to reply, but was quickly cut off by a chorus of coughs and sneezes on the other end. He actually had to resist pulling the phone away from his ear.

Suppressing a sigh, he said bluntly , "You sound awful."

The other voice sighed, which only led to more coughing. _"Hehe, I fell down the stairs sometime today and broke a few things. Romario brought me to the hospital right when he came back from Italy, but when I woke up, I had this awful col- ACHOO!"_

"…" The phone cracked ominously under his grip. He knew better than anyone just how useless the boy was without his men, and how_ prone_ to sickness he could be, but this was ridiculous. "You are lucky I'm not there right now Dino." Really, a student of his shouldn't be so pathetic.

Dino panicked, and the tutor imagined him flailing about in his hospital bed. It's what Tsuna would do, and Dino and Tsuna were practically one and the same.

"_HIEEEEEEE!" Cough, cough, ACHOO! _

Unfortunately, he moved around a bit too much._ Crack! _Dino howled as pain shot through his ribs, cursing every God in both Japanese and Italian existence.

Reborn waited for the boy to settle down, before saying "You pretty much dug your own grave by telling me. Well, I would have found out eventually, but still, where are you?"

The Chiavorone boss screeched. _"WAITWAITWAIT I NEED TO ASK YOU A FAVOR!"_

"That hospital in Italia right? I'll be there in a few hours, be sure to have your flowers ready."

Dino sputtered. _"What in the hells-" _How on earth did his teacher know so quickly? _'WAIT! That's not important!' _He hurriedly reprimanded himself._ "J-just wait a second Rebor—"_

"You liked green, don't you?"

"_Well I actually like blue — WAIT A GODDAMN SECOND REBORN-"_

"February 4th, 1988 - October 11th, 2011 , " Reborn chanted mockingly. "Loving—though pathetic—boss of the Chiavarone family, student of the world's greatest hitman Reborn. He will be missed."

Dino blanched. Nothing like hearing what will go on your gravestone when you're still alive, no matter how disabled you are at the moment; especially when the person you're hearing it from is perfectly capable —_going _to be— the cause of your death.

Before his old teacher could say anymore, he yelped_ "It's orders from Vongola Nono!" _

Now that caught the hitman's attention. Reborn blinked. "The Ninth?"

"_Y-yeah… He sent me on a small errand, but since I'm like this now, I can't really… ha, ha." _He laughed nervously into the phone, silently counting the years Reborn sheared off his life just now. He will never get used to his old tutor's antics. Not ever.

"…Well, I suppose I can carry out your dying wish," Reborn said nonchalantly, and Dino felt like crying; he really did feel like he was going to die.

Interrupting his now sullen thoughts, the teacher asked, "What did he ask you to do?"

Grumbling, Dino took a deep breath and said,_ "You know that barrier around Vongola HQ, right?"_

"…Yeah."

The Vongola had many defenses, many of which acted on its headquarters, the heart of the family; a necessary function, since it was one of the most powerful and well-known families in the mafia world. Countless people have tried to infiltrate the headquarters, in hopes of gaining information, or even assassinating the Vongola boss. And as many tried, all failed, as the boss's guardians are included in the line of defense. And the majority of those many were killed in the process. One such defense was a barrier—radar actually—that immediately detected in Dying Will flames being used in the vicinity. Surprisingly, just the sound of the alarms going off and flashy lights upon detection were enough to scare more than a few potential intruders off.

"What about it?"

"_Apparently, this hasn't happened in a while, but it needs to be renewed. Normally, all it would take is a flash drive to restore it—plug it in and the data will automatically fix the barrier—but it's er… gone_." Dino hesitated at the last part.

"…Gone?" The Vongola family wouldn't simply lose something as important as that. (And if they had stooped so low, Reborn would have to go whip them back into shape himself.)

The most likely possibility….

Confirming his suspicion, his old student said _"Yeah, taken."_

"…Hm…" Even without the barrier doing its work, getting past Vongola defenses was no easy feat. The number of people he knew who could do such a thing was single digit. But the infiltrator must not have ventured far into the headquarters, where the most lethal traps were. Even he, the world's greatest hitman, wouldn't be able to stroll through them. They weren't targeting the boss? "By whom?"

"_By an Arcobaleno,"_ Dino said. _"The one with green hair—what's his name again? Jared or something…"_

He tugged his hat slightly, shadowing his eyes. "…I see. I'll take Tsuna and the others and raid his base."

Dino almost screamed_. "R-raid his base?! I was just going to ask him for it!"_

His reply was blunt, "No way. He's pissing me off."

The blond's jaw dropped in horror. _"Rebor—"_

He put his phone away. He had nothing else to say to his former student. And though messing with Dino was a bit fun, learning that an Arcobaleno was interfering with the Vongola—_his_ line of work—caused his irritation to silently triple. The other Arcobaleno had always like causing him trouble.

Popping out from his hideout, he snapped, "Tsuna!"

"HIEEEEEEE!" the boy screamed, stumbling away from the home tutor. "R-Reborn! What are you—"

He quickly cut his student off. He didn't have time for his dame ways right now. "We're storming Verde's base tonight. Do whatever you need to, to prepare."

His eyes bugged. "Wha-? Why so sudden?!" But the hitman had already gone back inside his hideout, the door concealing itself before he ever had a good look.

Tsuna's jaw was practically hanging as the child trembled on the ground. Always shrouded in mystery, one of his home tutor's _worst_ habits—and in the boy's opinion, Reborn had plenty—was baffling him to the point where he could _faint_.

And right now, he definitely felt more than a little lightheaded. "H-how?..."

"Don't worry, Tenth! I'll come with you!" Gokudera chirped, flashing him a thumbs up.

Beside the silver-haired teen, a taller brunet grinned. "Now now, you can't leave me behind too."

Gokudera's smile faltered, and he indignantly rounded on Yamamoto. "No one asked you! Baseball idiot!"

The cheery boy only laughed in response, and a one–sided squabble began. Despite what seemed to be obvious discord, Tsuna knew that the two trusted each other with their lives. And though he could barely believe it, he knew was included in their mutual trust.

Perhaps, that was what made it a little easier to believe everything would be alright. "Guys…"

The three could only exchange smiles. Words were beneath them when it came to expressing their camaraderie.

The bell then rang, cruelly reminding them they still had half a day's left of class. The two pulled Tsuna to his feet, and they rushed back to their room. Mr. Nezumi could be awful on the ears when it came to tardiness.

…

As promised, Reborn pushed Tsuna to leave the house at eight , jumping off the porch after relaying his message. But not before leaving a few bruises behind.

Sighing, Tsuna packed his gloves and pulled a sweater on. He never liked leaving the house this late to go do weird, dangerous stuff. It saddened him to have to sneak around the city, hiding things from his mother. He had no idea whether she was aware of his nightly expeditions—he sincerely hoped not—but her cluelessness of all this worried him. What if something happened?

Silently trudging down the stairs, he glanced at the kitchen, the light still on. Quiet voices flowed from the room. His mother must be speaking with Bianchi.

He shook his head, and silently opened the door to leave, throwing one last glance over his shoulder.

"….I'll be back later," he promised quietly. Shutting the door, he jumped off the steps and broke into a run. That devil incarnate would give him heck if he showed up late.

…

From the kitchen table, Nana Sawada looked at the doorway, a sad smile crossing her face. Her son had left again. "Bianchi-chan… Tsu-kun is involved with the same thing as my husband, isn't he?"

The Italian woman responded with silence. Telling Tsunayoshi's mom about the mafia was simply not an option. Her involvement must be something avoided at all costs. Nor was denying Nana going to make things better. But at the same, she pitied the poor woman. Both her husband and her son had made a habit of going off on their own, not telling her a single thing. Of course, they had their reasons, but they were also men. And a man would never know what it's like for a woman to sit and wait for them, knowing they were probably doing something risky but not knowing exactly what. Not knowing when, or even _if _they'll come back.

'_Yes… that's what it means to be a woman in this world… watching the backs of men from a distance, unable to do anything but pray.' _Bianchi thought. Times of strife, war, battle, and difficult situations in love had given her a great understanding of thoughts, both those of men and women. These hardships were what drove her to come to Japan—a desperate attempt to leave her troubles behind in Italy, poorly disguised as a formal business trip. She knew she was only running away. A futile attempt to escape.

In the end, she was no better than her brother.

…

The three boys met up at the park, as arranged by the hitman earlier that day. The night was a still one, with only a light breeze stirring the grass and crickets voicing their song. The full moon cast an almost eerie glow on the world, giving them just enough light to see each other's faces. A silent greeting passed between them.

Yamamoto yawned, stretching his arms out. He was a bit tired today.

"Baseball idiot. If you're gonna nap on the job, just go home!" Gokudera scowled.

He laughed. "I think I'll be alright. Besides, these weird games you guys play are pretty fun."

They both stared at him with incredulousness. _'He still thinks everything is a game!…'_

With some loud rustling, Reborn suddenly jumped in from the bushes. "Is everyone here?"

Tsuna jumped, and weakly muttered, "Y-yeah…"

As if on cue, a limo suddenly rolled by the park and stopped. With a glance at the vehicle, Reborn said, "Let's go."

* * *

Groaning, he tilted his head towards the sky, a somewhat awkward maneuver since the chair was taller than he was. But it didn't matter. His chest hurt. His head hurt. Everything was so freaking _heavy_.

Lips barely moving, he uttered, "Hey."

The ghostly figure beside him hovered in the air, and though the sight barely registered in his hazy mind, the smirk and victorious expression on his face were unmistakable. So were his eyes. His eyes were scary. "Yes?"

Who was this man again? Shouldn't he be asking who he was? He doesn't know him. He doesn't know his name.

But he had long ceased to care. He _couldn't_ care. The sole thing on his mind right now, was this colorless, empty world, and the blood red sky above him, weighing on him as though the world was above him, and he was beneath the ground. But that was not the case. He knew where he was.

Vongola Headquarters. Just as Reborn had promised him, he was here. He was its ruler, and he sat on top of the world. But how ironic it was, that the person who pushed him to reach the top wasn't standing by his side.

Without thinking, he drawled to this mysterious person, "…I'm doing the right thing, aren't I?"

This world was not colorless. Red is a color, and everything was red. But if everything is one color, you can't really say it's colorful, now can you?

The figure rested a palm on his forehead. Cold, but surprisingly comforting. It was cold. He's _positive_ it was cold. But why does he feel so much better?

This gesture had turned into something warm in his mind, warm and kind, though he knew that wasn't the case. It reminded him of the past he wished he could take back, where everyone was happy. Happy and alive. Familiar faces passed through his mind, and a prickling sensation pressed at the back of his eyes. Nothing came though. What was he even expecting?

"That's right. You're doing the right thing," the unknown man purred.

_Oh, I am?_ he thought, mind nothing but a muddled fog. That was all he needed then. He could keep going.

He had no strength, not even enough to set a goal for himself. Right now, all he could do was keep moving, keep moving, until the day he no longer can comes to pass. Oh, how he wanted that day.

But at the same time, he was _too_ strong. No one could hurt him. That day will not come soon.

He sat up straight, though the weight continued to press at his shoulders. But it was okay, he can bear it. He emptily glanced around at the empty room, dark with night. "Where is everyone?"

"You killed them," came the response. So matter of fact. So abrupt. But not unexpected, he knew it was something like that. It was no news. He screwed up.

"They're dead."

"…I see." But he didn't see at all. All he could see was this red sky. But he was inside a building. A normal building with a ceiling. So why was it, when he looked up, it was red?

"But don't worry. New friends are coming soon, I've seen to that." The person smiled, and ruffled his hair. He could almost feel his heart break at this act, tearing even in this hollow canvas. So many people had done that to him before, played with his hair, playing with it as they laughed and he tried to push them away, despite laughing as well. But all these people were dead, because of him.

And they weren't coming back.

"Alright…" he responded. There was nothing he can do. There's nothing left to want, nothing at all… except to be saved. Only, he didn't know just what he wanted to be saved from.

He wondered, will these people play with his hair like they did back then? Will they be able to make him smile? He couldn't imagine such a thing. He doesn't even _remember_ how to smile. Heck, he didn't even _deserve_ to.

Here, in this red world, he can only think:

_Who am I?_

…

An hour later, after an _extremely_ rough ride, they arrived at the base. Cursing and groaning, they emerged from the car with painfully fresh bruises and even_ more_ painfully sore muscles. Reborn made a silent note to tell the Ninth boss of the incompetent driver, his mood having careened to a dangerous level. Even Yamamoto seemed a little distorted. Before Gokudera could tell the _deranged_ driver off, the coward made a sharp U-turn and sped back in the direction they had come from.

Verde's place was in a desolate, empty canyon area. Large, reddish stones littered the landscape a little further off, and the base itself was at foot of a large one. Or so they were told. The night had darkened even more since they left the park, and they could barely distinguish themselves.

Gokudera's hands wandered around the surface of the rock, searching for a doorway of some sort. Reborn-san said this was where it was; why couldn't he find it?

"Jump," the hitman suggested.

The teen blinked, and tilted his head towards the sky. Was it higher up? Extending his arm, he jumped as high as he could, grasping only air and coming back down empty.

Only, he went down a_ lot_ further than he should have. "GAH!"

The ground caved in beneath his feet and he plummeted into darkness, screaming the whole while.

"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna cried in alarm, peering through the hole he made. Dirt floated to the entrance, and the boy coughed.

"Shit, shit, shit…" the bomber muttered, rubbing at his back as he slowly sat up. That freaking _hurt_. How far down did he fall anyway? Glancing up at his boss, he yelled, "I'm fine! Just—hurting— damn it all my back," he grunted, trying to stretch it out.

"I-Is he really alright?" Tsuna asked.

"Well, it is Gokudera," the Rain Guardian replied easily, "he should be fine."

Reborn chortled, and Tsuna stared at him with shrunken pupils. "Y-You did that on purpose!…"

The infant's eye glinted. "So?" he countered challengingly.

Tsuna had no words for him, and instead thought with conviction that the Spartan-devil will be the death of all of them.

The three of them jumped down, Yamamoto and Reborn landing quite neatly while Tsuna fell flat on his butt.

Gokudera immediately rushed over to the boy and anxiously helped the whining child, while Yamamoto poked around experimentally. A frown soon marred his normally optimistic features. The dirt walls were disturbingly soft—what if it caved while they were in here?

"Let's go, while the night is still young," Reborn stated, already heading down the dark tunnel. Fumbling, the teens rushed after him, alert for any dangers.

The first couple minutes were moderately uneventful. Just walking, walking, and walking further in the endless darkness. Verde wasn't kind enough to line the tunnel with torches or anything of the sort. Eventually, the soft walls of dirt became smooth, steel walls, leaving the company with no choice but to follow its path. Their footsteps bounced back to their ears, loud and somehow eerie.

Suddenly, they came upon a large, dome-like room, instantly greeting them upon entering with ominous, mechanical noises that sourced from the far right. And, with a flurry of flames and metal,all _hell_ broke loose.

…

Half an hour later, Reborn found himself stonily firing at falling rubble, careful not to let any of the debris hit him. This mission had quickly turned into a mess. After they were ambushed, Yamamoto and Gokudera were forced back outside for the sake of space—firing dynamite underground would have been suicidal. The Rain Guardian decided to go along, in favor of leading the robots away from Tsuna, leaving just him and his student to deal with Verde. At first, Tsuna tried to ask the mad scientist for the flash drive, to which he stubbornly refused. The boy then began _begging_ (he will make sure he gets it later—the Vongola Decimo should _never _beg his enemies) leading to Verde jumping inside a contraption himself and try to kill Tsuna. Needless to say, their heated battle quickly threw the place in a state of collapse—it was completely falling apart. The faster they got out, the better.

"Tsuna! Hurry up!" he shouted over all the noise.

And Tsuna, being the naïve fool he was, allowed himself to get distracted by his teacher and actually took his eyes off his opponent, who genially took the opportunity to grab the boy by the ankle and fling him towards the opposite end of the room. Probably saving his life, Tsuna managed to fire his flames backwards just in time to soften the impact. What would have been a crater in the steel wall was now a vein of cracks.

"Tsuna!" he barked.

"I'm trying! I can't get the flash drive from him!" he shouted back, now circling Verde's robot. The Arcobaleno was tauntingly clutching the device in one hand, while using the other to manipulate the machine. Blasted mechanism and even further blasted the mad scientist. To be able to invent something so resistant to Sky flames is nothing short of a miracle.

But still, that flash drive wasn't worth a life. "Forget about it. We'll try again later!" he yelled.

"Oh no, you don't," Verde snapped, quickly moving the robot to kick Tsuna, the mechanism's foot catching the boy in the stomach and throwing him towards some machines. Sparks flew ominously as Tsuna's limp body partially shattered it, and Verde's eyes widened. "Sh-shoot! Get away from that!" he yelled.

Tsuna struggled to get up, but his leg was caught right in the machine. He couldn't move. Something in the corner of Reborn's eye shifted, and he immediately shot at it, but he was too late. The thing had fired a ray just before exploding from his bullet, the beam hitting Tsuna squarely on the chest. A strange, bright light enveloped the boy's body, and getting brighter to the point where he couldn't see. "Tsuna!"

Verde watched the scene grimly. Not only was that machine already not completed, it was also damaged at the time it fired the ray. This wouldn't end well.

No response from the child came to the hitman, and he was forced to wait it out. The light continued to shine, showing no intention of dimming until almost half a minute later. Finally, it completely died out, and Reborn witnessed the scene before him.

Tsuna sat hunched over in front of the machine, head bowed down. Though you couldn't see the child's face, anyone would recognize him from that thick mass of hair. There seemed to be no change, other than the fact that his leg was no longer caught.

"…Verde, what's the meaning of this?" Reborn growled. He didn't know why, but something felt wrong—_very_ wrong.

From the lack of reply, Reborn turned to check on the Arcobaleno, only to see the bastard was flying out through the ceiling. "Tch." What was this anxiety? Reborn could only name a few select cases where he felt this anxious, and none were very nice situations. Following his gut, he switched on the earphone and yelled, "Gokudera! Yamamoto! Verde just flew outside, you can't let him leave!"

Breathing heavily, Gokudera finished up with the robot in front of him, and he spotted another one shooting out of the base, probably the science bastard. Shaking, he pulled out more dynamite and replied, "Y-yes Reborn-san!"

Yamamoto was in no lighter state of exhaustion, but said, "Hah… Sure thing kid!~"

The bomber immediately tossed up the dynamite towards the escaping robot, the self-propelled, now homing explosives chasing after it with incredible speed. Yamamoto swung his sword, using one of the offensive forms of Shigure Soen Ryu to send a slice of air towards the Arcobaleno, making up for the lack of water.

Reborn watched Tsuna carefully, the child still not having stirred after the light. Explosions sounded from the outside, ceasing not too long after. Suddenly, the voice of the children came in. "S-sorry, Reborn-san! He got away!"

"Damn," he muttered. Finally, Tsuna began to move, and he said, "Get over here, something just happened."

"Did something happen to Tsuna?!" Yamamoto asked, alarmed.

"Just get over here."

Within seconds, the two children had rushed in, searching for Tsuna.

Gokudera's eyes widened. "Tenth!" He quickly rushed over, roughly shaking the boy by his shoulders. "Are you alright?! What happened?! Tenth!"

Yamamoto, who was running for his friend with the same vigor, suddenly stopped, then edged backwards. His face sported something of uncertainty. "S-something doesn't feel right…" the boy muttered, watching the scene.

"…"

"Tenth! Tenth!" The Storm Guardian was getting desperate now. Suddenly, a large chunk of the ceiling broke and crashed to the ground, narrowly missing Tsuna and Gokudera, ever so kindly reminding the hitman that the place was falling to pieces. "Gokudera! We have to get outside!"

Clenching his teeth, the boy turned and threw Tsuna's arms around his neck, then lifted him by the back of the knees. The three then raced outside, just in time to see the structure completely collapse.

Gokudera put Tsuna on the ground, still attempting to wake him. The boy's cries were getting frantic.

Reborn studied Tsuna's face carefully, and realizing that something, indeed, was off. Physically, his features were very much the same, but they held a tiredness and sense of haunt he had never seen on the child.

"Tenth!" Gokudera shouted joyously. Tsuna had finally begun to open his eyes.

The eyes slowly opened, and none of them were prepared for what they saw. Tsuna's eyes, with unmistakable charm and always glittering with life and emotion, holding warmth that reached out to anyone and everyone, did not exist here. Instead, they were replaced with a blank gaze, fogged over and as deep and cold as ice. The shadows under his eyes were prominent, giving him a look of the living dead.

The boy emotionlessly stared at them, looking rather distant. "Stop it, Hideyoshi…" Alarm sparked in the three's eyes. Hideyoshi?

"I already know it's my fault… I know it's my fault…" he continued to whisper.

"T-Tenth?" Gokudera stammered nervously.

"I know it's my fault…" he repeated, "but you like to keep reminding me, don't you, Hideyoshi? I know… I wouldn't do what you said… I defied you, so I know…"

Their eyes widened with a look of despair, as the next words slowly rolled out from the boy's lips. "I know… you killed everyone…" Tears began streaming from his lifeless eyes. "Everyone you're showing me… is already dead."

* * *

"OWWWW OWOWOW!" Tsuna screamed as he rolled around on the ground, clutching his bloodied leg. "It hurts!" he cried in despair.

Leg throbbing, he slowly looked around, and then blinked. What was he doing in Namimori?

Suddenly, a very familiar voice behind him said, "Hideyoshi-kun?"

Tsuna turned around, and coughed in surprise. "H-Haru?!"

" Hahi ?! Hideyoshi-kun, what happened?!" she cried out, falling to her knees at the sight of his leg.

Confused by the unfamiliar name, he half-heartedly replied, "O-oh… just an accident."

"That looks very dangerous! I'll call 911!" The girl immediately took out her cell and began dialing the numbers, leaving Tsuna trying to make sense of what happened. Why was he here in Namimori instead of at Verde's base? Why was Haru calling him Hideyoshi?

Suddenly, he felt lightheaded and dizzy, and the world began to blur. The last thing he saw was an alarmed Haru, as she cried, "Hideyoshi-kun?! Hideyoshi-kun!"

* * *

Several hours later, he woke again in a familiar environment. The white sheets fell down to his waist as he sat up, and the smell of a sickly cleanliness filled his nostrils. He was at Namimori Hospital.

A knock sounded at his door, and another, a familiar voice said "Sawada-san? Have you awoken?"

Before the boy even had a chance to reply, the tall, red-headed nurse strode in. "Is your leg doing alright? That was an awful injury you had."

"U-um…"

"Children these days," the woman scoffed as she changed the bandages, "can't even walk across the street without getting hurt somehow."

As he pondered why he was here , his eyes suddenly widened. Where were his friends?!

As the nurse quickly re-bandaged his leg, Tsuna got a glimpse of what the poor limb looked like and recoiled. It wasn't pretty.

"Um, h—." He choked on his own words, and tried again. "Have you seen my friends?!"

The woman looked at him questioningly, placing a hand over his forehead which caused the child to pout. No fever. "I don't know what friends you're talking about; only the nice young lady who found you lying in the middle of the street and called us."

Tsuna fell into a bewildered confusion. What the heck was going on?!

Sighing, the nurse got up and handed him crutches. "Practice walking with these please, Sawada-san. There was a bit of an… accident, so we need as many rooms as possible. That leg is the only serious injury you have, so it should be alright."

Nodding slowly, he got up and reached for the supporters, adjusting them both to a suitable height. (And much to his dismay, he had quite a bit to do.) Slowly moving himself, he got off the bed and hopped right on the crutches, trying to avoid putting any weight on his injury. After a couple test strides, he pulled the door open and left the room.

'_Wow… it really is Namimori Hospital,_' he thought as he scanned the halls. Everything looked just as it had when he last came here. Though he felt rather lost, and so, _very_ confused, seeing these familiar places calmed him down a little. Suddenly, he remembered the visit where Hibari had all but killed him, and felt a strange urge to check if the prefect was in the building. "Maybe he knows where Yamamoto and the others are…" he thought aloud.

'_N-no way… If I do find him, I'll be bitten to death,_' he thought, now scared out of his wits. But for some reason, his curiosity overpowered his fear, and he eventually resigned. A quick look shouldn't hurt _too_ much… if he was lucky.

But then he remembered he was never lucky.

Remembering the little 'game' Hibari had set up that day, he pressed his lips together and shifted the crutches in his arms so they wouldn't make as much noise. He then took a deep breath, and slowly pushed the door open, and peeked inside. The bed was empty.

But the room wasn't. A heap of unfortunate men lay in a pile smack in the middle of the room, bruised and broken. His legs trembled and he nearly fell over. _'So this is the accident she was talking about!'_ the brunet thought. Thank God Hibari wasn't here anymore…

"Little herbivore, you're in my way."

"HIEEEEE!" he screamed, barely managing to catch himself. Craning his neck, he slowly turned, now certain his death was inevitable. Icy gray eyes met his own.

Much to his horror, the teen smiled. "Have you come to play my game?"

"N-n-n-n-n-no! Of course not!" Tsuna said, frightened for his life. He then tried to inch his way past the older student, to which his blunt response was a quickly putting a tonfa to Tsuna's neck.

"I'm bored. Entertain me a little, herbivore."

Tsuna shrieked, and his legs finally gave beneath him. Hibari looked at him in disapproval, and Tsuna swore years were being carved off his life by this ice king. "This won't do. You're not in my room."

Tsuna glanced behind him, and saw he had fell just a few inches short of the line that separated the room from the hallway.

"You have to be in my room to play." Giving the younger boy no time scream, he kicked the child into the room, and the boy landed a couple feet away from his previous kill pile.

Kyoya now held both his tonfas, casually swinging them in his hands. Deliberately taking his time, he stepped in a uniform pattern towards the child, the sound of his footsteps: a song that sung of death.

Tsuna was, to say the least, terrified out of his mind. The power of his terror shook his body to the point where one would think the boy was having a seizure. But somehow, at this moment, his instinct was just a little more powerful than this terror. Not daring to look away from the older student, his hand slowly reached into his pocket.

Hibari, slightly excited by this gesture, lunged straight for the boy. He liked those orange-specked eyes; they promised a battle.

* * *

Reborn quickly threw a flying kick at this 'Tsuna.' By now, it was painfully clear this was not his student. The boy immediately dropped to the ground, face first.

Gokudera and Yamamoto stood still, shaking from what they'd just seen and heard. All of them? Killed?

Reborn tugged at his hat, the brim shadowing his eyes. Even he had to admit, that display was quite unnerving. From anyone else, he'd be only curious at most. From innocent, Dame-Tsuna, however… it was simply wrong.

"We're taking him with us for now," he decided. Even if this person didn't know what happened to _their_ Tsuna, he could at least tell us what he experienced.

Nodding slowly, Gokudera lifted the boy once more, not nearly as eager as he once was. Reborn called for another limo, making _sure_ to get a driver that wouldn't run them off a cliff. The death-threats were more than enough to do the trick.

They carefully clambered into the car, laying the unconscious child across a few seats and securing him. Finding other places to settle, they made themselves as comfortable as their state of mind would allow them, before finally heading on home.

* * *

The X-Gloves half on, he hesitantly hovered in the air, trying to adjust the input in his right leg so it wouldn't touch the ground. It was difficult at first, but, thanks to his Hyper Intuition, he got the hang of it quickly enough. His eyes were a gradient of the fierce orange to the warm brown, and slowly narrowing. While dodging the older boy's fierce strikes, Tsuna asked "H-Hibari-san, have you seen Yamamoto or Gokudera?" The smallest hint of flame was blooming on his forehead, barely enough to be called a spark.

Not stopping, the prefect swung at the boy, who jerked to the side to avoid it. "Who?"

That stopped Tsuna dead in his tracks. Surely Hibari was joking?

But he immediately dismissed the thought. He would never joke. "Y-you know… the Storm and the Rain Guardian?…" Perhaps he just never learned their names… Yeah, that must be it.

The older student relented for a moment, and then frowned. The boy's little blabber was hindering his inner strength from emerging. He could feel it… And he wanted to see more. "Herbivore, you're speaking nonsense." He swung again, but this time, Tsuna blocked, and hastily jumped backwards. His leg tapped the ground before he managed to push out flames, and the pain was enough to momentarily throw him off balance.

One glove was on. "H-Hibari-san… your comrades! Your family members!" he cried, near desperately and down on one knee.

He only glared. "Little herbivore, I have no family."

Tsuna's eyes widened, and a solid steel bit his jaw, sending him flying into the wall.

Lodged firmly among the crumbling concrete, the boy's head bowed over. The raven-haired teen stared in disapproval. Surely he wasn't done already. He had yet to see _it_.

Rubble fell to the ground as the boy stirred. "No… family ?... " Tsuna's voice came out dry. Sudden anger filled him, and he yanked the other glove on. Flames exploded across his forehead.

Hibari grinned, excited and—for the first time in a while—impressed. "Wao."

"How can you say that?!" Tsuna yelled lunging at the older student.

His eyes widened as the furious boy rushed at him, and was barely able to sidestep the attack. Even then, he didn't escape unscathed. His disciplinary band emitted smoke, singed around the edges.

How exciting. "That's right. No family." He smirked, attempting to goad him.

What he got, however, was a different reaction. Tears flowed from the younger boy's eyes as he charged him with the same ferocity, the contradicting actions catching him off guard.

Tsuna slammed Hibari against the wall, pinning him by the shoulders. "How can you say that?!" he screamed again. "After all we've done! You—!"

He could only blink. He was certain he had never met this herbivore before. What was he rambling about?

Deciding that didn't matter, he lifted the tonfa to his face, planning to force the herbivore off him. He wasn't fond of being restrained.

The bright, orange eyes suddenly widened, and Tsuna grabbed his right wrist, squeezing it hard enough to forcefully loosen his hand. The silver weapon clattered to the floor. "Hibari-san…"

His grip tightened, and more tears dripped onto the floor. "Hibari-san, your ring! Where is it?! What happened to it?!" The Cloud ring was _missing_ from the boy's finger! Tsuna knew he wasn't all too fond of begin his guardian, but he had never seen Hibari without it. Even when the older boy distant, the Cloud ring was _always_ there!

Surprised, the older boy was forced into silence once more, but soon growled. This herbivore with his feminine mood swings… it was annoying. "Herbivore, I _never_ wear rings."

Tsuna opened his mouth to protest, when pain struck the side of his face, and he was swallowed in darkness once more.

* * *

They stopped right in front of Tsuna's house, thinking it was alright since it was still moderately dark. After the driver left, Reborn pondered what to do.

"We can't let Maman see him like this." He muttered. Those dark circles under the boy's eyes were no less visible, and he was sure if his mother saw his eyes like they did she would have a heart attack.

"…We could just say he's sick," Yamamoto suggested half-heartedly. "Maybe one of us could stay with him to make sure his mom doesn't look at him too closely."

"I'll do it," Gokudera volunteered immediately. He wasn't sure what the heck happened to his boss, but he wasn't going to leave him alone in that state.

"No, you two have school. I'll do it today," Reborn said firmly.

The silver-haired teen opened his mouth to argue—he learned _nothing_ at school!—but the infant cut him off by saying "I have questions I need to ask him. If he sees either of you there, there's a chance he might start rambling again."

Their expressions darkened. That was something they _definitely_ couldn't see again. Not today.

Seeing their faces, Reborn said, "Try to get some sleep after. You're probably tired."

The bomber grudgingly agreed, and carried the boy into his room as quietly as possible, wincing as the stairs creaked beneath the weight. After setting Tsuna down on the bed, he slowly headed home, Yamamoto closely following before turning the other way.

Reborn watched the boy as he slept, fists scrunching up the sheets and blankets restlessly. His gaze repeatedly wandered back to Tsuna's tensed hand, wondering, many, _many_ times, why the boy wasn't wearing his Vongola Ring.

* * *

For the second time that day, Tsuna woke up in killer pain—only this time, it was in his head. Groaning, he opened his eyes, only to have the ceiling stare back at him.

His hands clenched into fists, vaguely remembering his dispute with the older student. _'Hi-Hibari…'_ The battle maniac had knocked him out, and left him on the _floor_.

Hibari always left his broken opponents in a place where they could get treatment, and, though it _was_ the_ floor_, it was still a hospital; him and his twisted logic.

He pulled himself up to a sitting position, and leaned against the wall, only to realize his crutches were on the opposite end of the room. Cursing under his breath, he crawled over to the sticks and got up, overwhelmed with a need to leave this place. After comfortably situating them under his arms, he hopped out the room, not exactly sure where to go.

Bright sunlight greeted him as he stepped outside, and he hummed in satisfaction. Yup, it was definitely Namimori.

Glancing around for any cars, he hobbled across, for some reason more wary after being told a car accident was the cause of his injury, though he knew better than anyone that that wasn't the case. But it's not as if you can tell just anyone a baby controlling a robot hurled him across a room.

His mind a mess of muddled thoughts, he simply walked, allowing his feet to take him where they will. He passed familiar faces, subconsciously exchanging waves with them before moving on.

Soon, he stopped. Looking up at the small building, he thought in realization _'It's my house…'_ It looked no different than a few hours ago, though something did seem a bit strange.

Thinking nothing of it, he shrugged it off and headed towards the door, stopping only for a second before letting himself in.

That strange feeling still not having left him, he awkwardly strolled by the kitchen, breathing a sigh of relief to see his mother diligently washing the dishes with her back turned to him.

'_Mom…'_ he thought happily. Amidst all this confusion, seeing her was a _huge_ relief.

He must have made some sort of noise, however, as she turned around, looking over her shoulder. Her eyes twinkled with that familiar smile. "Tsu-kun!"

"H-hi mom…" he fumbled shyly. Her expression soon became that of worry however, as she saw the state her child was in. "Tsu-kun, what happened?!" she cried out, immediately dropping the dishes into the sink and hastily wiping her hands and striding over to him, patting at his shoulders and sides. "Did you fall again? Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"O-oh, yeah… I fell," He said, trying to look sheepish. "And no, just my leg, is all."

She suddenly pushed back his hair, and Tsuna remembered Hibari had struck him there. "Oh, Tsu-kun, you're so clumsy!" she scolded lightly before rushing off to get a bandage. He could only stand there with his slightly ruffled hair, wallowing in happiness to know his mother hadn't changed a bit. She was as fussy and protective as always.

She returned faster than he could think 'Vongola' and smeared the bandage over his temple, crumpling the wrapping and dropping it in the trash. Sighing, she returned to her station at the sink and continued her job, shaking her head. "Tsu-kun, you're too silly! You get hurt over the smallest of things!"

"S-sorry…" He then looked around, now knowing why something felt off—it was quiet, too quiet. Normally, he could hear the kids squabbling from around the block, but standing in the house, there was no such noise. "Hey mom, where are Lambo and the others?"

"Lambo?" she asked in a questioning tone, glancing over her shoulder. "Is he your friend?"

Tsuna froze. Why does her face look like that? "Th-that baby with the cow-print shirt… and I-pin, Fuuta, and Bianchi…" he fumbled. He shouldn't have to tell her this! If it was his good-for-nothing father, sure, but… this was his mom! _'Why… what's going on?'_ he thought, panic slowly rising in him.

"So many new names!" his mother squealed, finishing up with the dishes. "Did my Tsu-kun finally make friends? Oh, you should have told me sooner!" she blubbered, reaching for his shoulders.

On the verge of tears, he rapidly shook his head and pulled away from his mother's touch, racing up the stairs and into his room as fast as his injured leg would carry him, and slamming the door shut. He stood with his back to the door, shaking, and gasping for breath.

His mother… didn't know Lambo? _New_ names?! _'She would never forget Lambo… She loves him so much, she loves everyone so much!' _he thought in dismay.

Finally, his legs gave and he sank to the floor, trying as hard as he could to not cry. _'Why is this happening? What's wrong with everyone today?'_ He despaired, cradling his head in his hands. _'I don't…'_ Tears streamed down his cheeks, and his breaths became hiccupping sobs.

'_I don't know what to do!'_

And what can he do? No one was here for him, and no one could understand. Before unexpectedly being blessed with friends, crying was how he coped. Right now, for the first time in a while, all he could do was cry as he did back then.

A loud knock suddenly sounded from the wood at his back, and he screeched in surprise.

_Bang!_ His mind panicked and devoid of all thought, Tsuna instinctively jumped from in front of the door and found himself being roughly tackled to the bed, legs hanging off the mattress and eyes spinning. Unable to come up with any logical explanation as to what was going on, he slowly refocused his vision to the figure hugging his waist, and his eyes widened as he saw a too-familiar mass of hair, the very same hair his mother and Reborn relentlessly jabbed at him for.

But that was impossible.

"Tsuna, are you okay?! Mom's worried! Did something happen?! Did people bully you again?!" The person jabbered worriedly. He finally moved off Tsuna, now studying the cast on his leg, and growled, "Your leg too!"

It was then that Tsuna finally got a good look at him, and his hands gripped the sheet in surprise. His shocked expression reflected off the widened, almond brown orbs, staring into his own.

Fumbling, Tsuna uttered, "You… you look like me!"

* * *

**THE TWIN THING, YEEEE. I think Hibari is out OOC. =m= cries. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! :D**

**Please leave a review! I'd love to hear your thoughts. :3**


	2. Chapter 2: Reborn!

**Um... so I was right about it being shorter. It's like a 1,000 words less, LOL. orz, honto ni gomenasai. BUT GOSH I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I MANAGED TO UPDATE THIS like I honestly thought it would take me half a year but wooo I got to you guys like three days later. Happy New Years! (Just another year of no accomplishments for me, cries.) Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/followed, you made me super happy! And also, for anyone reading Crossfire, next chapter should come in a few days. ;) Er, I think I confused quite a bit of you last chapter, so I hope this clears a few things up. ;w; Hope y'all like!**

**Ah, almost forgot to mention this but Hideyoshi is now the older brother (changed it in the description) for plot reasons. (You might think it's just on a whim but I swear it's not omg XD) Hope you don't mind!**

**Do I even have to say this because c'mon people, this is a fanfiction website. But, Katekyo Hitman Reborn is not mine, but Akira Amano's! (I still want it but oh well gotta deal.) But my Hideyoshi is mineeee! Please don't take him from me! x)**

* * *

"_Gokudera, what's wrong?!" he cried out, barely being able to dodge the incoming fist. His eyes widened as paled skin brushed his temple. _

_The older boy was clenching his teeth, muscles tense as though trying to stop them from moving, stop them from harming _him_. "Run!" As he shouted the warning, his hands reached for explosives, and pure dismay crossed the white-haired teen's face._

_He didn't know what was going on. He didn't know why their ally was attacking them. All he knew was that amidst all the flames and explosions in the background and bombs raining towards the ground, were the tears running down Gokudera's face, and his steel-colored eyes screaming for help._

Gasping, Tsuna awoke, drenched in sweat that came with last night's horror. His eyes flicked towards the digital clock beside his bed, the red digits glowing.

_Two o' clock?..._ he thought drearily, trying to sit up. The past few hours' events then rushed to his mind, and he almost fell back again. The shocked faces of his old friends resurfaced from his memories, and replayed themselves in his head. Tears trickled down his cheeks, tears he thought he had long spent, and his chest tightened into a painful knot.

_Everyone… why… You're already dead, so why?_

"You're awake."

Tsuna slowly turned his head towards the voice, and held his gaze for a moment before turning away. "Reborn."

"That's right." The said person hopped from the floor to the dresser, situating himself beside his head.

Reborn frowned at the child. He looked no better than last night. At this rate, things will get increasingly complicated, one factor contributing to that being Tsuna's mother. How long will he be able to put her off?

He handed 'Tsuna' a box of tissues, and said firmly, "No more blubbering, there are things I have to ask you. I don't know what happened, but the situation now is probably different than where you come from."

"…Fine," he responded dully.

…_This is kinda depressing,_ the Arcobaleno thought to himself. This boy didn't look a day older than the Tsuna he knew—if anything, younger—but it seems as though he'd already given up on life. "Who are you?" he asked.

The child made no effort to face him. With a side-glanced, he stated, "You know who I am."

"Actually, I don't," Reborn deadpanned. "Like I said, the situation here is different. We never met before today. Just tell me who you are," he said, subconsciously tapping the gun resting beside him.

"…Tsunayoshi Sawada."

The hitman figured as much. He looked just like him. "Your family?" he pressed. For all the torturing he did to his student, even _he_ wasn't a heartless bastard. This interrogation made him sick to his stomach. In all honesty, all he wanted to end this Tsuna's suffering right now, and would gladly do so had their _own_ Tsuna not been separated from them. Until he got his lovable student back, this guy had to stay alive.

"Nana and Iemtisu Sawada are my parents. My older brother… is Hideyoshi Sawada…" Surprising the hitman, he then sent Reborn a blood-red vengeful look, both accusing and spiteful, fierce enough to send any normal man running for the hills.

"…the one _you_ changed," he said lowly.

Luckily, Reborn was no normal man. Though it wasn't the most positive change, it was the most emotion Tsuna showed all day; it was progress, easily comparable to the empty, talking canvas he had witnessed earlier. Perhaps the boy could regain some of his spirit. "Back to what I said earlier; I don't know you, and you don't know me. Also… you don't _have_ a brother."

Tsuna gave him another blank look, before lying back down on the bed and pulling the cover up to his ears. "So he died too?" He then gave a dry laugh, and though it was a laugh, the sheer hopelessness in it made Reborn wish he never heard it at all. "That's it then; I have absolutely nothing left to lose. You might as well kill me."

Finally feeling a bit irritated with all this depressiveness, Reborn aimed a kick at Tsuna's torso, effectively forcing him off the bed, though he was careful to hold back. "I am not going to kill you. You're not my Tsuna to kill. After I send you back to wherever the hell you came from, you're free to do what you wish with your life." He then added, "And don't get the wrong idea about your brother; I don't know him, I don't know what happened to him, and I most likely will never know what happened to him. He could still be alive."

Still sprawled on the floor, Tsuna didn't respond. After relocating himself onto the bare bed, Reborn asked, "Do you like your brother?"

"I liked him before you came along."

Reborn growled. "_I don't know him_. Say that one more time and I _will_ kill you."

Though the words didn't come out of his mouth, his mind clearly read, _'I have nothing left to lose.'_

Talking to this guy, he decided, was going to be a lot more difficult than he originally thought.

Sighing, he said, "Alright then, let's pretend that the person you know as Reborn is me. Just what did I do to your brother? What's he like?"

"…My brother is… was, the best person in the world." Tsuna suddenly choked, and it wasn't hard to guess on what. Reborn tossed the box of tissues at his head, which remained on the bed even after he kicked him off.

"No waterworks. What else?"

Back turned to him, Tsuna sat up and took it, though Reborn saw no signs of him intending to use it. "He… a lot of people didn't like him. He was kind of arrogant. He had a sharp tongue, and that got him in trouble a lot. But he got in trouble because of me. A lot of people picked on me all the time… Hideyoshi would save me. He'd make me stand behind him and tell them to back off, or kick them from behind and run off to get them to chase him. I would be left alone then, but he always came back home later. He always got hurt, but he was always smiling." His shoulders were shaking, and his voice wobbled, on the brink of turning into tears.

"…And what did I do?"

"You _came_," he said in frustration. "You came and became his home tutor or whatever, and you made him fight other people that had nothing to do with him! And mom died, and, and…" He flopped back to the floor. "_Something else _came! It… it wasn't just you. There was something weird after that. Something weird and scary, I couldn't see it but I knew it was there, and sometimes it would talk to me." Tsuna curled up until a ball, hands matted into his hair over his ears as if trying to block out some outside noise, but the effort seemed to be in vain. "It'd say things like, _'Your brother is getting stronger'_. And… _it made him change!_ He came home less and less often, and when he did he looked… he looked like he was hurting himself! He still smiled at me, and he still kept saying he would protect me, but he looked like he was dying inside! I couldn't do anything!" He was now racked with sobs, and Reborn allowed himself to let up for a while, both in favor of going over the new information and giving the child a break.

_Confidence and the desire to protect… It's no wonder he was chosen as the heir_, Reborn thought. Although the boy had said his brother was arrogant, the two elements were the very same thing. Arrogance stemmed from confidence, and confidence was necessary to lead. Furthermore, he _was_ the older brother. No matter how you looked at it, he would have been the first to catch Vongola Nono's attention.

He also saw similarities between Tsuna's description of Hideyoshi and his own student. Both would be quite willing to go to lengths to protect those dear to them, and he suspected, as it was to his Tsuna alongside his strength, that that was the twin's weakness. And from how the story went downhill, that weakness was his undoing.

_Try too hard to protect something, and someday you'll lose everything_… He knew that quite well. _It must have started when Nana died_, he decided, still trying to deal with the fact that she passed away in whatever place he came from. It was all he could do to remind himself that the woman was cooking downstairs. _That would have shocked both of them greatly._ _If anyone was targeting Hideyoshi, that time would have put him in his most vulnerable state. Someone must have taken advantage of him._

_But who?_

He waited a bit for the boy's crying to die down, then said, "Last question, then I'll explain everything. How did everyone die?"

Tsuna's response came more easily, which the hitman noticed. The tears must have eased him a little. "We tried to fight him. Yamamoto, Gokudera and I. Ryohei wanted to help, but Kyoko was in danger so he couldn't… We knew Hideyoshi didn't like what he was doing. Even though he said he was doing it for my sake, his eyes said he hated something… So we tried to stop him. We tried to change him, but failed. We… didn't have proper training. We set a date, trained ourselves, and hoped for the best. We knew it probably wouldn't work, but there was no choice. No one was left there to help us, and time was short because Hideyoshi was going to hurt a lot of people." Tsuna sat up and turned to face him, but still averted his gaze.

"Mukuro… Chrome, she didn't like what my brother was doing. We asked her to help too, but she said Hideyoshi was her one and only boss. None of us could blame her; he saved her a long time ago. But she agreed not to tell him anything. Still… Mukuro was the first person we had to fight. We tried hard, but a few minutes later, Gokudera was acting weird," he said, recalling his dream. "He was attacking us, but it looked like he didn't want to. Like something was making him move. Yamamoto tried to stop him but he lost. He was bleeding a lot, but I couldn't help him. I was still fighting Gokudera. I was able to knock him out but… I was left alone. Me against my brother and Mukuro, and Hideyoshi didn't fight yet." Almost restlessly, Tsuna began tapping the ground with his fingers. Whether it was idle movement or a distraction to hold himself back, Reborn didn't know.

"It wasn't for much longer though, Hibari came later and took on Mukuro. Said something about an old grudge and biting him to death," he drawled. "I'm not sure what happened to him, but… Hideyoshi beat me. Almost effortlessly. He was so much stronger than the last time I saw him, I couldn't even do anything. My flames were nothing compared to his."

The hitman almost reacted to the last part. _So even without my help, he learned how to fight with flames?_ Reborn wondered incredulously. That would mean completely skipping the first step of using dying will flames; Dying Will Mode, in which one's dying will turns into physical strength by removing the body's limiters. Only _he_ could put someone in Dying Will Mode, thanks to Leon's bullets. If Tsuna was able to manifest his flames into a physical weapon, that would mean he somehow managed to learn Hyper Dying Will Mode; such a thing was unheard of. Even after mastering it, Hyper Dying Will Mode required the Shot of Rebuke, as it had the first time for his student, or two Dying Will pills. If Tsuna didn't have Reborn as his mentor, attaining either would be impossible.

_Was this guy a genius?_ He certainly didn't look like one. If he's anything like the Tsuna he knew, he _definitely_ wasn't one. But then again… Dying Will flames were the physical form of resolve. If one had enough resolve, maybe, just _maybe_, it's possible.

There were still many things Reborn was wondering, but out of gratitude for the fact he told him that much, he said, "Alright, I'm not the Reborn you know anymore. If you're not too tired I'll tell you where you are and why you're here." Despite saying this, he didn't know the _exact_ reason why this Tsuna was here. He'll have to go check with Verde later just what that machine was.

"Go ahead… but what do you mean, 'where you are?' I'm in my room," he said, looking around. Some of the things were in different places, but it was unmistakably his room.

"Not exactly. First off, you're not from this world. I don't know the specifics, but it seems you're swapped in place for _our_ Tsunayoshi Sawada . As you already saw, Yamamoto and Gokudera are still alive, as well as Nana Sawada. She's downstairs right now," he added, the last part slightly reassurance to himself. He only realized now just how fond he had become of Maman.

His eyes widened in disbelief. "Mom… is still alive?"

"Not your mom," he corrected. "The Tsuna of this world's mom. And these aren't your friends, but his. You'll see them repeatedly, but you have to remember that these aren't the people you knew. You won't be here forever."

"I… see," the boy said deflated. "So I have to stay alive until you get the other me back, right?"

_He caught on quickly,_ Reborn thought.

"That's fine. I'll just stay in here until you do. This way I won't bother them, right?" He attempted to clamor back onto the bed, but Reborn quickly kicked him back off again.

"Wrong." He rejected the idea immediately, though it was temptingly simple. If only things could be that _easy_. "If you do that, the Nana of this world will die of worry. I don't know what she was like in your world, but here, she's a kind and loving parent, if not a bit clueless."

"…Mom was the same," Tsuna said quietly.

_Interesting_, he thought. Now that his parents have been mentioned, he was interested in Iemitsu's involvement of the family, but that will have to come another time. "You'll have to pretend to be _her_ Tsuna. I'll try to keep your interactions to a minimum, but they'll be inevitable. The others are fine, since they'll probably insist on helping bring Tsuna back. You won't be able to deceive them anyhow." He paused, and then added, "Also, Hideyoshi doesn't exist here. Nana Sawada birthed only one child. Biologically, Tsuna has no siblings."

Staring up at the ceiling, he asked slowly, "Biologically?"

In reply, Reborn said simply, "Here, Tsunayoshi Sawada is my student. He was the chosen heir to the Vongola. His brothers and sisters are his famiglia."

"…How lucky of him." Regret tinged his voice, and he sat up once more.

"That's what I tell him, but he wants no involvement in the Mafia whatsoever. Regardless of all the things he's done, he's still trying to preserve his ordinary life. Such a child, really." Reborn was well aware that he was complaining about his student to a child with the same face and name, and though he was just slightly guilty (he was missing, after all) he couldn't help but be amused.

A few things have to be worked out in his plan here in there (conveniently named, "Deceive Nana Sawada") but it'll be fine in time. "You're probably hungry; I'll get something to eat." Normally, he would _never_ offer to do a favor for someone else, but this broken piece of glass had to be treated carefully. Besides, food was probably the last thing on Tsuna's mind, and it wouldn't do at all if he starved to death.

Without waiting for a response, he jumped off the bed and strolled out the door, closing it behind him to leave the boy with his thoughts. He did seem like the thinking type, and a quick reading of his mind proved that quite well.

He came upon the woman in the kitchen, just as he suspected. Bianchi sat at the table, sipping at a cup of tea. The rest of the house was quite silent, so he assumed the children were out playing somewhere. "Maman, can I get something for Tsuna to eat? He's doing his homework right now so I don't want to make him come downstairs." There _was_ the fact that Tsuna didn't go to school today, nor did he come down for breakfast, but he was praying that she wouldn't nitpick at it.

"Oh, Tsu-kun went to school?" He cursed himself inwardly right there. "He didn't have breakfast this morning, so he must be hungry." She prepared a tray of several foods before handing it to him, despite the fact that he was half as big at the tray himself.

_ What a formidable woman,_ he thought_. She notices things._ But that didn't change the fact that she was quite oblivious, so he concluded that although she was observant, her mind analyzed the information incorrectly. And in this case, that was for the better.

Getting the tray up the stairs would be a hassle. He couldn't exactly jump from step to step while carrying this thing on his head, especially with the hot soup and drink she had put on it.

…_Formidable_, he confirmed. He was happy she treated him the way he deserved to be treated (otherwise it would mean having to deal with annoying remarks, and he couldn't exactly hit a woman) but sometimes it just doesn't work.

At the same time, his pride adamantly refused the thought of telling her, _he could not carry this goddamned tray up the stairs._

"Would you like some help, Reborn?" Bianchi asked, understanding the situation.

"It would be appreciated," he replied. Without any further discussion, the woman picked up the tray and followed Reborn up the stairs. The Arcobaleno stopped in front of the door and turned to face her, as if to block it.

"I'll carry it inside, thanks." Bianchi sent him a questioning look, which he willingly responded to. There were very few people he could speak his mind to, and as long as her brother wasn't involved, Bianchi was one of them. He beckoned her to lean down, and, keeping his voice low, he said, "I'll explain later, but Tsuna isn't exactly here right now. Someone else is in his place but he's in a fragile state. I don't want anyone else coming up here except for me."

She stood up, and nodded in understanding. She'll make sure no one but him enters this room. The woman would be better at keeping Maman occupied than he was, which the hitman freely acknowledged.

After conveniently opening the door for him, Bianchi headed back down the stairs and immediately engaged Nana in light conversation . With so many people living under her roof, the topics were endless to choose from.

He picked the tray up with his small hands, and allowed himself in. Tsuna now sat crisscrossed on the bed, still appearing to be thinking a few things over.

"Here." Reborn handed him the tray from below, which the boy stared at for a few moments before saying, 'Thanks.' Being careful not to jostle the tray (from this small act, Reborn could see he wasn't as clumsy as his no-good student) the child alleviated him of the weight and began blowing on the food, taking his time to cool it down.

Reborn jumped up on a stool, and idly began experimenting Leon in different gun forms. He recently learned a new one from Colonello, and though he'd rather die before admitting it, he was interested enough to try it out himself.

That was when he noticed Tsuna crying once more, a few tears managing to mingle with the soup before he had enough tact to lean back a bit. "What's wrong?" he asked him.

"I know you said she's not my mother… but her cooking is exactly the same," he choked, trying to compose himself.

Leon changed back to his chameleon mode, and Reborn decided to stick to his normal gun. Although having its perks, it was a bit too tasteless for him. He stepped out of the room and onto the porch and closed the door behind him. Accepting his offer, the boy allowed himself to give out once more.

_Who knew someone as small could have so many tears?_ Reborn thought, watching the passersby below with mild interest. Not for the first time, he was grateful this town had such peaceful people (for the most part) and amazing weather. Ah, well. If he had sky flames, then the amount of sadness he had could extend as far as the sky itself. Only when one lost everything can they truly say they've despaired, and unfortunately, this child was one of them. Just his eyes spoke novels of his past suffering; add his mind to the mix and you might as well have Tsuna's bitter biography.

There were two people he had in mind that he had to speak with; one was Verde, for quite obvious reasons. Establishing contact with the fleeting Arcobaleno will be a bit tricky, but once the hitman got a hold of him, he wouldn't let him go. If necessary (and he suspected it probably will) he'll switch to death threats to get what he wanted.

And the other was someone he knew that was _very_ familiar with traveling between worlds, and though young, the most knowledgeable and experienced when it came to the matter. After all… he had data from ten years ahead as well as from dozens of worlds.

_Shoichi Irie._

If anyone could build something that could counter Verde's machine, it would be him and Spanner. Reborn was counting on him, more than he'd like to admit. Of course, he had many people he could ask for help from in Italy; he _was_ the world's most famous hitman. A few of them had probably traveled between worlds before, such accidents happened in the Mafia business. (Most especially with the Bovino Family.) But he would rather stay away from them. Asking someone for help was one thing, trusting them was another. And as things were, Reborn couldn't trust any of them.

"Reborn?" The boy's voice suddenly called from the bedroom, faint from the glass separating them, and he turned to see the child still eating. He pushed open the door for ease of hearing, and asked, "What?"

"Can I fix the date?" He pointed at the alarm clock beside his bed, which also displayed the day's date in the top right corner. Reborn frowned, and double-checked with his watch. It wasn't incorrect.

His skin prickled, feeling as though something was about to happen. "…What's wrong with it?" he inquired slowly.

"It's about eight months early," he replied, already moving to change it.

_Eight… months?_ "No, don't change it. Leave it." Reborn immediately slammed the door back closed and jumped off the porch, now extremely restless.

As he floated in the air, courtesy of Leon's parachute, the gears in his mind turned furiously. _Eight months ahead… that would mean wherever he came from was eight months ago. He came from the past. _He landed neatly, then ran to a tree and pulled out his phone. He had to speak with Verde _now_.

He came from the past, but not _their_ past. Not the past they experienced, but an entirely _different_ one.

_A past parallel world._

* * *

Yamamoto rested his head on his hand as he looked out the window with only half his usual interest. His fingers tapped the cup beside him, which contained his favorite drink, but for some reason he hadn't much will to consume it at the moment. "…So what should we do?"

As expected, Gokudera only snorted, "I don't know. Do whatever the hell you want." He wasn't going to get involved with this baseball idiot.

"….Hm, I kinda wanna see Tsuna, but… it makes me sad. I know he's not our Tsuna, but he has the same face. It's hard not to worry about him."

_I get what you mean_, Gokudera thought drily. The baseball idiot was terrible with words, but this time, his intentions were loud and clear. Seeing his boss like that was enough to make him feel like a _failure_, even though the back of his mind knew that wasn't his boss. For the first time in his life, he was thankful for the fact that their Tsuna was the _only_ Tsuna. Look-alikes would probably piss him off.

There was way too much the white-haired teen didn't know, and that annoyed him. Reborn probably figured out most of the questions he had, but he knew pretty much next to nothing. All he could say for sure, knowing Verde with his strange contraptions and seeing the look-alike Tsuna, was that his Tenth was swapped out for that guy.

Yamamoto idly read the menu, though he knew he wasn't going to order anything else. "But I want to help him too. I mean, he _looks_ like Tsuna. He can't be that much different."

If that last remark had come from anyone else, Gokudera would have dismissed it as complete bullshit. Look-alikes were look-alikes; absolutely nothing obligated them to be similar in any way whatsoever.

However, this was the baseball idiot. And although a complete idiot, Gokudera had to admit (not aloud though, to hell with that) that his intuition was incredible. He probably wasn't aware of it himself, but the taller teen was quite good at reading people, even if his simple mind only categorized them as 'good' or 'bad.' He saw how his guard would heighten whenever someone suspicious passed them by, and many times, his quick reacting saved them. A lot of people have been targeting their boss lately. Even though they expressed it differently, Yamamoto was just as protective of Tsuna as he was.

Though if Yamamoto wasn't the first to move, it would be Reborn. Gokudera saw how they had this unspoken game called 'Who Can Hit First,' and the silver-haired tried to jump in once. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong target… and almost ended up in juvenile detention. Not fun.

Therefore, there must be some truth to what he said. Something about that look-alike Tsuna must have tipped the idiot off that deep down, they were similar.

"Do whatever you want," he repeated, standing up. "I'm going. There are things I wanna find out."

The idiot grinned. "Alrighty!~ I'm going too then."

He walked out of the shop, the taller boy right behind him. "No way, go on your own time." The Italian scowled.

"This is my own time. School's out," he countered cheerfully.

He clucked his tongue. This guy is pretty annoying. "Bastard."

* * *

"_You look like me!"_

As soon as those words were out, the other boy raised an eyebrow and rested his hand against his forehead. "Of course Tsuna, we're twins. Are you feeling alright?"

"Uh… I'm fine?" he mumbled. What the heck was going on?

His 'twin' turned back around and stared critically at his leg. His voice low, he growled, "Who did this to you?"

"N-no one! A car hit me, that's all—"

"Don't give me that, you're lying. You could always trick mom, but not me." He then moved his hand upwards, revealing the bandage on his forehead. "This too, dammit! I'll kill 'em!" The twin began clamoring off Tsuna, careful to avoid his leg.

"W-wait a second! You can't-"

He whipped around and said, "HAHA! So it was someone!"

"Well—I—" he stammered._ There was no freaking way he can tell this guy about Verde. _Of course, there was Hibari too, but this guy seemed nice, if not kinda weird. He didn't want him to die just yet.

_Come on, come on… What can I tell him? _he thought in panic.

"He moved back to Australia!" Tsuna blurted, and then did a double take.

_Australia_. Why, the _hell_ did he say Australia? Although he was a bit proud to know that he retained some information from yesterday's class (he was rather fond of koalas) _now was not the time_. _America_ would have been more believable, for God's sake!

_There's no way he's going to believe me_, he cried inwardly.

"Oh, really?" The twin blinked at him, and stopped rolling his shoulder. "Aw, that's a shame. I'll have to head on over there one day to find the bastard. Wonder if Australians speak English…"

_He believed me!_ Tsuna almost screamed out loud. What _is_ this guy?! That was the most obvious lie he ever told in his life! The twin was now looking out the window, as if his tormenter would be standing right outside.

That idiotic, careless way he carried himself, it was almost like…

_It's almost like Dad…._ He paled at the thought.

"Well, it's almost time for dinner. Mom's worried so you should come down." The twin opened the door and glanced behind him, waiting for his response.

"Oh, uh…" How can he face his mom _now_? He basically ran _away_ from her. "I'm sorta tired; I'm think I'll sleep. Maybe later." With that, he turned and pulled the covers up over his head.

"Alright, little bro. If you're awake later, I'll bring you something to eat." He then left, and the door shut soundly behind him.

_Little bro_… he thought. So this guy was the older twin?

What _was_ his name again? He never said. As his eyes started to close, Tsuna then remembered what Haru had called him.

_Hideyoshi_. If Tsuna looked like him enough to be mistaken for him, that _had_ to be his name.

The name blinked in his mind until he drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the day's events. _Hideyoshi_…

…

After he shut the door behind him, he sighed. Today was a pretty freaky day. First Hibari, then Tsuna…

He had encountered the prefect on the way to the restroom. He heard tons of rumors about Hibari beating up students, but he wasn't afraid of him; more like creeped out. Who wears their jacket like that anyway?

Apparently, the older student was doing his usual patrol of the grounds, searching for any student who dared to step an inch out of the school's rules. Unfortunately for one, who only transferred to the school a few days ago, hadn't heard about Hibari and his wrath just yet. _Right_ in his presence, the guy slammed Hideyoshi against the wall, snarling something about payback. Of course, he couldn't care less. He had thrown a punch at this guy yesterday and for good reason. _No one messes with my brother_.

And he was about to hit him again when Hibari had graciously done the favor for him. Sweeping in, he smashed his tonfa into his attacker's face (he swore he saw a tooth or two fly out) saying coldly, "No violence on school grounds."

_Bastard, like you were one to talk_, he thought amusedly. His respect for the older student had shot up right then. He obviously didn't give a shit what other people thought. Even the teachers didn't want to get involved, responding to the violent situation by averting their gaze or returning to their classrooms.

That is, until Hibari stared at him oddly, as if he _met_ him before, and then said, "You're weak." He even looked _disappointed_ then!

_Well sorry for not meeting your bullshit expectations, asshole,_ he fumed. _Weak_. As if he knew anything, he never had an interaction with the icy prefect until today! How could he have _expectations_ for him?

He sighed again, then thought, _As long as you stay away from Tsuna, I'm good. _He didn't like picking fights for no reason.

Little did he know that the boy already had a near death experience with the older student.

He headed down the stairs and into the kitchen, and saw his mom tapping her foot, a strange smile on her face. He flinched as she waved the white paper in his hand.

_Oh shit, the report card_… He forgot to grab it on the way in…

"Hii-kun," she said cheerfully. "You're grounded."

…_Damn._

* * *

Back in Italy, a quiet, run-down bar caught the attention of a certain hitman. As the small figure strolled in, various men glanced at him, nothing but money on their minds and greed plaster on their faces. Almost immediately, a man stopped the much shorter person, quickly joined by someone else. Both had cocky expressions and a gun in their hands. However, before they could so much as pull the trigger, they were immediately struck down. He then continued to the counter, jumping up on the stool.

Two men, acquaintances with this hitman, inquired, "Ah, Reborn? Must be tough being popular."

"Where are you going to next? Rome? Venice?" chimed the other as he handed him a cup of water.

A small smirk formed on the person's lips. "Japan."

Various exclamations came, but Reborn paid them little attention.

"Looks like it's going to be a long journey," he mused.

* * *

Dino sat quietly at the hospital, watching as birds fluttered by his window. The steady beeping on the monitor beside him was a calming reminder that his teacher hadn't killed him just _yet_.

His cold had long passed, thanks to the special medicine his family had so kindly made up. Unfortunately, his ribs were no less broken than before and his arm in no less pain, which prevented him from leaving the dreary room as he so desperately wished to do. Frankly, he was bored out of his _mind_. There were few things he couldn't do (provided his men were there, otherwise the count would triple or so) and _staying still was one of the things he could not do_.

Fortunately, luck was smiling upon him as his phone rang the second time that week. Of course, back at home he received countless phone calls (though nowhere near as famous as the Vongola, the Chiavarone family was still quite well known) but getting a call on his personal cell phone was rare. Only three people had his number—Reborn, his father, and Romario.

As he picked up the device, he had wholly expected the person on the other end to be Romario or Reborn. Calls from his father were few and far between, and the retired man had only called him last week. However, as he had only spoken with his teacher yesterday, his guess was leaning slightly towards Romario.

So, as one can expect, he was quite surprised when the person calling him was the very same person Dino was supposed to greet a few days ago.

In other words, Verde.

"_Bronco, are you there?"_ Like the other Arcobaleno, one could easily mistake this person to be a full grown man. He always wondered why only Reborn's voice had turned into that of a child's when he was cursed.

But as things were, that was the _last_ thing on his mind. "V-V-V-V-V-Verde!" he stammered. "This number—I never—"

"_I have to say, Chiavarone Decimo, I'm quite disappointed with your family's weak security. Getting your contact number was rather simple."_

Baffled to the point of speechlessness, he heavily fell back against the wall. When the young boss finally got his lips to function correctly again, he hoarsely asked, "What do you want?"

"_I'm done with the flash drive, so you're welcome to have it back," _he replied.

His jaw dropped. _Well, then._ He didn't know what he was expecting to come out of the elusive infant's mouth, but that certainly wasn't it.

He could only ask again in disbelief, "What do you want?" Surely, there had to be a price for this. _That flash drive contained information of the Vongola family's barrier. _Verde could easily sell it for a huge amount of money if he didn't want it anymore.

"_Just tell Reborn that I gave it back. I also added a few extra files that would enhance the barrier's security as well as the entrance of the Vongola's headquarters. Really, the ease of which I managed to get this is almost insulting."_ In the time Dino spent mind-boggled, Verde added reproachfully, _"I don't want to contact him any time soon."_

Wait a minute… did that mean Tsuna and the others failed? What on _Earth_ happened?!

Suddenly, a new voice dropped in, and it was then that the blonde began questioning his existence.

"_Well, Verde, you actually thought a cheesy little plan like that would work? Now _you're_ insulting _me_."_

Dino silently paled, while Verde practically screamed._ "Reborn! How did you get my number?!" _

"_I can hack too, you know,"_ the higher pitched voice responded in amusement_. "'I'm quite disappointed with your weak security. Getting your contact number was rather simple.'" _His voice was so mocking, the blonde almost wanted to laugh. But at the same time, he knew some serious shit was going between the two right now. If you valued your life, you _never_ got between Arcobaleno… ever.

Before Verde could hang up, Reborn quickly said, _"Verde, if you put down your phone right now, I will hunt you down and slaughter you. I know you can't fight, your brain is the only muscle you're capable of using. And your robots must be in some pretty bad shape from the other day."_ The hitman paused, and then added, _"Besides, some interesting things happened. I'd like to meet up with you to talk about it. It might even be helpful to your research."_

The other line went silent for a few moments, before Verde replied, _"I'm not that careless. I have plenty of robots that I could use against you, but I already know you can destroy them in a second. For their sake and the information, I'll talk to you."_

"_Good,"_ Reborn said simply._ "Come over to Tsuna's house later. _Today_."_

Without another word, the scientist hung up, his teacher soon following. Time seemed to freeze as Dino's bewildered expression only intensified further, left alone with his cell phone beeping.

…_What the hell just happened? _

* * *

Nana Sawada happily left the grocery store, quite content with her findings. Although she had to wake up a bit early to catch the sales, she didn't mind in the least. It seems as though she could make the boys something special tonight.

She reached for her key and almost entered her home, but then suddenly remembering, she stopped by the mailbox. "Oh, that's right! I hadn't checked the mail yet this morning!" she chirped to herself. She reached for the various letters and sifted through them, content with the bill notices they had sent her. Luckily, there won't be any problems with them this month.

A small paper then fluttered to the ground, dropped from the stack of envelopes from her hand. After she picked it up, she opened it, curious as to what the strange-sized paper entailed.

**Will raise your kid to be the new leader of the next generation.**

**Grade and subject doesn't matter.**

**-Reborn**

* * *

**Heehee, this is where the fun starts! Oh, Journal guy or Red guy aren't here today either :) I SWEAR TO GOD THEY ARE NOT JUST RANDOM PEOPLE, they are actual people and they have a purpose, but I won't tell you who they are until the last chapter or so. (But they'll appear every now and then, so maybe you can figure out yourselves XD /probably can actually /since I can be totally obvious sometimes) Um... for that part where Reborn was in Italy, I just took what I remembered from the anime and the manga, so it's probably different but this is a fanfic so who cares, LOL. Oh gosh, I'm rambling.**

**Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a review! (I don't mind negative things at all as long as it's CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.) Or just telling me what you like or would like to see and whatnot. That's really fun too XD Hope to hear from you!**


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